power steering AUDI A8 2014 Owners Manual

2 Table of contents Vehicle literature .. .. .. .. .. ... .
5
About this Owner's Manual . . . 6
Controls and equipment .. ... .
Ins truments and controls .. . .
General illustration ......... .. ... .
Instruments and warning /
indicator lights ........ .. .. .. . .
Instruments ............ ... .. ... .
Warning/indicator lights .......... .
Driver information display .. .. .. ... .
On-Board Diagnostic system (OBD) . . .
Opening and closing .. .. .... . .
Keys .. ...... ........... .. .. ... .
Power locking system ..... .. .. .. . .
Luggage compartment lid .. .. .. .. . .
Child safety lock . .......... ... .. . .
Power windows . .......... ... .. . .
Valet park ing . ........... .. .. ... .
Sliding/tilting sun roof ... .. .. .. .. . .
Panoramic sunroof ........ .. .. ... .
Clear vision .. ........ .. .. .. .. . .
Lights . .. .. ............. .. .. .. . .
I nterior lights .............. .. ... .
V1s1on ..... ... .... ......... .... .
Wiper and washer system ... ... .. . .
Mirrors ................. .. .. ... .
Digital compass .......... .... ... .
Seats and storage ....... .. .. . .
General recommendations ..... .. . .
Front seats ... ........... .... ... .
Rear seats .. ... .... ...... .. .. .. . .
H ead restraints .............. .. . .
Seat memory . ... ..... ... .. .. .. . .
Full-length center console .... .. ... .
L uggage compartment .. .. .. .. ... .
Pass-through with ski sack ........ .
Roof rack ....... ......... ... ... .
12-vo lt sockets ........ ... .. .. ... .
Storage .. .. .. . .......... .. .. ... .
Cooler ... .. .................... . 8
8
8
1 0
10
11
24
29
3 1
31
33
37
4 1
41
42
43
44
4 6
46
so
51
53
55
56
58
58
59
61
65
66
68 70
71
72
74
75
76
Warm and cold .......... ..... .
Climate controls . ............. ... .
79
79
On the road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Starting and stopping the engine . . . . 84
E lectromechanical parking brake . . . . 86
Start-Stop-System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Speed warning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Audi adaptive cruise control
and braking guard . . . . . . . . . . . .
94
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Audi adaptive cruise control . . . . . . . . 96
Audi braking gua rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Audi lane assis t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Lane assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Audi side assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Lane Change Assistant. . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Audi drive select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Driving settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Raising/lowering the vehicle..... .. . 112
Driver messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Night vision assistant . . . . . . . . . 113
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Pedestrian detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Pedestrian warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Switching on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Settings in the MMI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
D river messages .. ................ 115
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 116
t iptron ic (8-speed transmission) . . . . . 116
Parking systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Advanced parking system with rear
view came ra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Peripheral cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Adjusting the disp lay and the warning
tones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Er ror messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Trailer hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Homelink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Universal remote control ..... .. .. . .
Safety fir st ..... .... ... .. .. .. . .
Driving Safely ................ .
General notes ............ .. .. .. . .
Proper occupa nt seating positions . . .
Driver and passenger side footwell .. .
Pedal area .. ................. .. . .
Stowing luggage .......... ... .. . .
Report ing Safety Defects ... .. .. .. . .
Safety belt s ... .. ... ... .. .. .. . .
Gene ral notes ............ .... .. . .
Why s afety belts? ........ .... .. . .
Safety belts . ... .. .... ... .. .. ... .
Safety belt pretens ioners . ... .. .. . .
Airbag system ................ .
Important things to know . ... .. .. . .
F ront airbags ... ...... ... .. .. .. . .
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System ........................ .
Knee airbags ............. .... .. . .
Side airbags ................ .. .. .
Side curta in a irbags ........ ...... .
Child Safety ..... ..... ..... .. . .
Important th ings to know ...... .. . .
C hi ld safety seats ................ .
I nstall ing a chi ld safety seat .. .. .. . .
L A TC H L ower ancho rages and tethe rs
for chi ld ren . ............. .... .. . .
Addit ional Information
Audi pre sense ........ .. .. .. . .
Preventat ive passenger p rotec tion 133
135
135
135
136
140
140
141
1 4 3
145
1 4 5
146
1 48
15 1
153 153
157
164
168 171
174
177
177
183
187
190 196
197 19 7
Vehi cle operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Intelligent technology .. .. .. .. 199
Notice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . 199
Table of contents 3
Bra ki ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Servotronic -advanced power steering
system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Driving with your quattro . . . . . . . . . . 204
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Driving and environment .... .
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards .. .. .... ..... ..... ... .
Catalytic converter .. . .. .... ...... .
D iesel pa rticulate filter ........... .
S h utting down veh icle ............ .
Avoid damaging the vehicle ........ .
Driving throug h water on ro ads .... .
Operate your vehicle economically and
minimize poll ution . .. .. .. ..... ... .
Trailer towing ... . .. .. ..... ... .
Driving with a trailer . .. ..... ... .. .
Trai ler towing tips
Vehicle care ..... . .. .. ..... ... .
Vehicle care and cleaning .. .. .
General information ............. .
Car washes .. .. .. .. ............. .
Cleaning and care information ..... .
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .. ... ............ .
Gasoline ........ .. ............. .
Diesel fuel ....... .............. .
Fuel tank .. ... .... .............. .
Se lective ca ta lytic reduction ....... .
Checking and filling .......... .
Engine hood . .. .. ............... .
E ngine compartment ............. .
Engine o il ... .. .. .. ............. .
Engine cooling system .. ..... ... .. .
Brake fluid . ... .. .. . ... ...... ... .
Battery ... .. .. .. .. . .. ... .... ... .
Windsh ie ld/headlight washer 207
207
208
208
2
09
209
2 09
209
212
212
214
2 16
216
216
216
217
222
222
223
224
2 27
231
2 31
2 33
2 34
239
242
243
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Tire pressure monitoring system . . . . 266
•
•

(!) Door handle
@
®
©
®
®
Audi side assist display
Power locking switches
Audi side assist button
Air vents with thumbwheel
Control lever for :
- Turn signal and high beam
- Audi lane assist .......... .
0 Multifunction steering wheel
with:
- Horn
- Driver's airbag
- Driver information system but-
tons . ............... .. .. .
- Audio/video, telephone, navi­
gation and voice recognition
buttons
- Shift paddles ........ .. .. .
@ Instrument cluster ......... .
® Windshield washer system
lever ..................... .
@ Starting the engine if there is a
malfunction ............... .
@ Buttons for:
- Start-Stop-System
- MMI display
- Elec tronic Stab ilizat ion Con-
trol (ESC) ............... .
- Emergency f lashers ....... .
@ Buttons for:
- Steering wheel adjustment
- Steering wheel heating
@ Lever for:
- Cruise control system 106
36
106
48
103
157
24
119
10
53
86
88
201
47
83
82
91
- Adaptive cruise control . . . . . 94
(8) Engine hood release . . . . . . . . . 231
@ Data Link Connector for On
Board Diagnostics (OBD II) . . . . 29
@ Light switch and instrument il-
luminat ion ................ .
@ Buttons for:
- All-weather lights
- Night vision assistant .. .. .. .
- Rear fog lights ........... . 46,51
46
113
46
Instruments and controls 9
@ Power exterior mirror adjust-
ment .... .. .............. .
@) Rear lid switch ... . .. .. ..... .
@ Power windows ............ .
@ Memory function buttons .... .
@ MMI display
@) Indicator lights/buttons for
- PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
- Parking system ........... .
- Rear window power sun shade
@ Glove compartment ... ..... .
@ Front passenger's airbag .... .
@ Analog clock .. .. .......... .
@ Climate controls ........... .
@ MMI controls
@ Selector lever (automatic trans-
mission) ....... ........... .
@ Center console with cupholder
@ Ele ctromechanical parking
brake .................... . 55
37
41
66
164
122
52
76
157
27
80
116
75
86
@ I S T ART ENGI NE STO PI button 84
(D Tips
-Some of the equipment or features
shown in the general illustration may be
standard equipment on your vehicle or
may be optional equipment depending
on your model. Always ask your author­
ized Audi dealer if you have a question
about your vehicle.
- Operation of the Multi Media Interface
(MMI) is described in a separate manual.

Opening and closing Keys
Key set
Fig. 16 Key set
@ Remote control k ey with mechanical
key
You can centrally lock and unlock your vehicle
and start the engine with the master key with
remote control. A mechanical key is integrat­
ed in the remote control key¢
page 32.
® Emergency key
The emergency key is not intended for con­
stant use.
It should only be used in an emer­
gency. Keep it in a safe place and do not carry
it on your key ring .
Key replacement
If you lose a key, contact your authorized Audi
dealer immed iately to have the
lost key disa­
bled. Be sure to bring all your keys with you.
Personal comfort settings
If two peop le use one vehicle, it is recom­
mended that each person always uses "their
own" master key. When the ignition is switch­
ed
off or when the vehicle is locked, personal
conven ience settings for the following sys­
tems are stored and ass igned to the remote
master key.
- Automatic climate control
- Central locking system
- Rear window sun blind
- Amb ient lighting
- Seat memory
- Parking system*
Opening and closing 31
- Adaptive cruise control*
- Audi lane assist*
-Audi side assist*
-Audi drive select
- Night vision assistant*
- Heated steering wheel*
The stored settings are automatically recalled
when you unlock the vehicle, when you open
the doors or when you switch the ignition on.
A WARNING
---Do not leave your vehicle unattended. Al-
ways take your ignition key with you and
lock your vehicle . Entry by unauthorized
persons could endanger you or result in
theft or damage the vehicle.
- Do not leave ch ildren unattended in the
veh icle, especially with access to vehicle
keys. Unguarded access to the keys pro­
vides children the opportun ity to start
the engine and/or activate vehicle sys­
tems such as the power windows, etc.
Unsupervised operation of any vehicle
system by children can result in serious
injury.
(!} Tips
- Th e operation of the remote control key
can be temporarily disrupted by interfer­
ence from transm itters in the vic inity of
the vehicle working in the same frequen­
cy range (e.g. a cell phone, radio equip­
ment).
- For security reasons, replacement keys
are only ava ilable from Audi dealers.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions¢
page 295.

82 Warm and cold
(D Note
To avoid damage to the heating e lements
in the seats, do not kneel on the seats or
place heavy loads on a small area of the
seat .
Setup
The climate control system setup is accessed
through the MMI.
.. Se lect : ICAR !function button> C ar sys tems
control button > A/C.
Rear c abin settings *
When this function is selected, all se tt ings fo r
the rear ca n be adjusted through the climate
contro l system in the cockpit . The climate
control system settings cannot be adjusted in
the rear seat at the same time. This function
switches off after a certain period of time or
when one of the dials in the cockp it is press­
ed .
Auto re ci rculati on* Solar roof*
Pa
rking ventilation is cont ro ll ed automatically
in the
auto setting .
When the ignition is off, solar-powered park­
i ng ventilat io n may sw itch on, as long as
- there is sufficient sunlight,
- the outside temperature is not too low,
- the sunroof is closed or tilted and
- auto (MMI) is selected .
Ii!] Steering wheel heating
Applies to vehicles: wit h heated s tee rin g wheel
The steering wheel rim can be heated.
Fig. 83 Steer ing col umn: steering w heel h eat ing but-
The sensitivity level of the automatic reci rcu-to n
lation mode can be set at various leve ls from
off to sensiti ve . The recirculation mode I""' ! is
controlled on automatically. You must press
the ~ button if fog forms on the w indows.
Fo otwell temperature
You can a dju st the footwell temperat ure so
that it is cooler or warmer.
Windshield heat*
When the defroster~ is swi tched on an d the
Aut o sett ing is selected, the windshie ld de ­
froster is controlled automatically .
Supplementary heater*
The supplementary heater warms the interio r
of vehicles with diesel engines* mo re q uic kly.
The supplementa ry heater is contro lled auto­
matica lly in the
Aut o setting. ..
Press the~ button to switch steer ing whee l
heati ng on/off. The message
Steerin g wheel
h eating on! /Steering wheel heating off!
appears in the instr ument cl uster display .
T he tempera ture is main tained a t a constant
level when stee ring wheel hea ting is switc hed
on .
The steer ing wheel heating sett ings a re stor­
ed automat ica lly and assigned to the remote
c ontrol key that is in use.

84 On the road
the stored position as soon as you switch on
the ignition.
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
This button switches on the ignition and
starts the engine.
Fig. 85 Cente r console: START ENGINE S TOP b utton
Sw itching the i gni tion on /off
~ To switch the ignition on/off, press the
I START
ENGINE STOPI button. Do not press
the brake pedal while do ing this . D iesel
vehicles are preheated wh ile the ignition is
switched on.
Starting the engine
~ Press the brake pedal Q &,.
~ Press the I START ENGINE STOPI button
Q fig. 85 . The engine will start.
~ It is possible that there w ill be a slight delay
when start ing the engine for diesel vehicles
i n colder temperatures . T herefore, yo u m ust
hold the brake pedal down until the engine
sta rts . The indicator lamp
& il luminates
when the eng ine is preheated.
I f the engine does not sta rt immedia tely, the
starting process is automatica lly stopped af ­
ter a short time. Repeat starting proced ure.
Start -Stop -System *:
Note the information on Q page 88, Start­
Stop-System.
A WARNING ,-
- Never allow the engine to run in conf ined
spaces -danger of asphyx iat ion.
- Never turn off the engine until the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake booster and power steering
only work when the engine is running. If
the engine is off, you have to use more
force when steering or brak ing. Because
you cannot steer and brake as you usual­
ly would, th is cou ld lead to crashes and
ser io us inju ries.
(D Note
- Avo id h igh engine rpm, full throttle and
heavy eng ine loads until the eng ine has
reached operating temperature -other­
w ise you risk engine d amage.
- T he engine cannot be started by pushing
o r towing the vehicle.
(1) Tips
- After a co ld e ngine is started, there may
be a brief pe riod of inc reased noise be­
cause oil pressure must first build up i n
t he hydraulic valve adjusters. This is nor­
ma l and not a cause for conce rn.
- If you leave the veh icle with the ignition
switched on, the ignit ion w ill switch off
afte r a certain period of time. Please
note that electrical eq uipment such as
exterior lights will sw itch off as well
when that happens.
Stopping the engine
~ Bring your vehicle to a complete stop.
~ Move the selector lever to the P or N posi­
tion.
~ Pr essthelS TART ENGINE STO Plbutton
Q page 84, fig. 85.
When you stop and the Start-Stop-System*
turns off the engine, the ignition remains on .
Press the I START
ENGINE STOPI button to
swi tch the ignition off d uring a stop phase.
IJII-

Stee ring lock
The stee ring locks when you t urn the engine
off us ing the
I S TAR T ENGINE STOP! button
and open the driver 's door . The locked steer­
i ng he lps pr event ve hicle theft.
E mergenc y off
If necessary , the eng ine can be sw itched off
with the selector leve r in the R, Dor S pos i­
tions . The engine stops i f you press the
I S TART ENGINE STOP! button at speeds below
6 mph (10 km/h) .
.&_ WARNING
- Never turn off the eng ine before the ve­
hicle has come to a complete stop. The
full function of the brake booster and the power steering is not quaranteed. You
must use mo re force to turn or brake if
necessary. Because you cannot steer and
brake as you usua lly would, this could
lead to crashes and serious injur ies.
- For safety reasons, you shou ld always
par k your vehicle with the se lector lever
in P. Otherwise, the veh icle co uld inad ­
vertent ly roll away .
- After the engine has been switched off,
the radiator fan can continue to r un for
up to 10 mi nutes -even with the ignition
switched off.
It can a lso switch on aga in
after some time if the coolant tempera­
ture rises as the result of a heat buildup
or if the engine is hot and the engine
compartment is addit ionally heated by
the sun's rays .
0 Note
Do not stop the engine immed iate ly after
hard or extended dr iving . Keep the engine
r u nning for approximately two minutes to
prevent excessive heat build-up.
Driver message in the instrument
cluster display
Turn off ignition before leaving car
On th e ro ad 85
This message appears and a warning tone
sounds if you open the driver's door when the
ignition is sw itched on.
Pre ss brak e pedal t o sta rt engine
This message appears if yo u press the
I STAR T ENG IN E S TOP I button to start the en­
gine and do not dep ress the br ake pedal. The
engine can only be s tarte d if the brake pedal
is depressed.
I!! I s key in th e vehi cle?
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the remote control key was re­
moved from the vehicle whi le the engine was
run ning . If the ignition key is not in the veh i­
cl e you will not be able to swi tch on the igni­
tion or res tart the engine after i t has been
switched off. You will a lso not be able to lock
the ve hicle from the outsid e.
Shift to P, oth erwi se v ehicle can roll aw ay.
Do ors d o n ot lo ck if lever is not in P .
This dr iver message appears for safety rea­
sons if the transmission has not bee n shifted
to the P position when you switc h the ign ition
off . Move the selec to r l ever to the P posi tion .
Otherwise the vehicle is not protected from
ro lling and cannot be locked.
fl Key is not r ecognized. Hold back of key
again st marked area . See ow ner' s m anu al.
If the indicato r light turns on and this mes­
sage appea rs, there is a malfunct ion
~ page 86.
Turn off ign ition before lea ving ca r. Battery
is d is c harging
This message appears if the driver's door is
opened wh ile the ignition is switched on . Al­
ways switch off the ign it ion if you a re leav ing
the ve hicle . See also
Q page 90 .
Shift to P and turn off ignition before lea v­
ing car, otherwi se v ehicle can roll away
T his messag e app ears if the driver's door is
opened wh ile the ignition is switched on and
the selector lever is not in the P posit ion. Shift
the selecto r lever into the P pos ition and .,..

90 On the road
Engine will not swit ch off
Before each stop phase, the system checks i f
certain cond itions have been met. For exam ­
p le, the engine will
n ot be switched off in the
following situations:
- T he eng ine has not reached the minimum
required temperature for Start -Stop-mode .
- The inter io r temperature selec ted by the A/C
system has not been reached .
- T he outs ide temperature is extremely h igh/
low .
- T he w indshield is being defrosted
¢page 82.
-The parking system* is switched on.
- The battery charge level is too low .
- The steering wheel is sharply turned or
there is a steering movement.
- After engaging the reverse gear.
- On sharp inclines.
The
tiij indica to r light appears in the informa­
tion line in the ins trument cluster disp lay
<=:>fig . 89 .
Engine automatically restarts
The stop phase is interrupted in the following
situations, for examp le. The engine restar ts
witho ut any act ion by the driver.
- T he interio r temperature varies from the
temperature selected in the A/C system .
- The w indshield is being defrosted
<=:> page 82.
- The brake pedal is pressed several times i n a
row .
- The battery charge level becomes too low .
- High power consumption.
Sw itching the ignition automatically
To prevent the battery from d raining, the igni­
tion will switc h off
automat ically when a ll of
the following conditions have been met:
- T he veh icle has already been driven.
- T he eng ine has been tu rned off by the Star t-
Stop-System*.
- The driver's door is opened.
- The driver's seat belt is removed.
- The brake pedal is not pressed dow n. -
The vehicle is stationa ry .
In this case, the activated low beam will be re­
placed by the side ma rke r lights. The s ide
marker lights w ill switch off after approxi­
mately 30 minutes or when you lock the vehi ­
cle .
If the Star t-Stop System h as n ot turned off
the engine or if you have sw itched the Start­
Stop system off man ua lly, the ignition will
not
be automatica lly switched off and the engine
will continue to ru n ¢ ,& .
A WARNING
=
Never allow the engine to run in confined
spaces -danger of asphyxiation.
(D Tips
If you shift into the D, Nor S posit ions af­
ter sh ifting into reverse, the vehicle must
be driven faster tha n 6 mph (10 km/h) in
order for the engine to sw itch off again.
Switching the Start-Stop -System on/off
manually
App lies to vehicles: wi th Start-Stop -System
If you do not wish to use the system, you con
switch it off manually.
F ig . 90 Ce nter console: Start-Stop -System button
.,. To swi tch the Start-Stop-Sys tem off/on
manually, p ress the
l(A) ~·I button. The L ED in
the button turns on when the system is
switched off .

110 Audi drive select
Audi drive select
Driving settings
Introduction
Aud i d rive select mak es it possible to expe ri­
ence diffe ren t types of vehi cle se ttin gs i n o ne
ve hicl e. The dr ive r can se lect th ree
Comfort ,
Auto
and Dynamic modes in the M MI to
switch between a sporty and a comforta ble
driving mo de.
You c an a lso a djust the setti ng according to
your p re ferences in the
individual mo de. For
examp le, you ca n combine settings such as a
sporty en gine t uning with comfortab le steer­
ing.
A WARNING
Improper use of the A udi drive select can
cause collisions, ot her acc idents and se ri­
ous pe rsonal injury.
Description
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on
the veh icl e's featu res. The engine, t ransm is­
sion, stee ring, reve rsible sa fe ty belt tension­
e rs a nd adap tive air su spension are alw ays in­
volved.
Engine and transmission
Depending on the mode, the e ng ine and the
tra nsmission respond quic ker or i n a more bal­
an ced manne r to acce le rator pedal move­
men ts. In the sporty dyn ami c mode, the
tra nsmission sh ifts at highe r RP Ms.
Air suspension
The adaptive air suspens ion/adaptive air sus­
pe nsion spor t*
(Air suspension in the MM I) is
an elec tronic ally con trolled air suspensio n and
da mpi ng sys tem. They are adjus ted depend­
ing on the se lected driving mode, the drive r's
steering, braking and acceleration input and
the road s urface, ve hicle speed and load. A
sporty setting is generally used i n ve hicles
with adaptive air suspension sport*. T
he vehicle clea rance varies depending on the
se lected mo de an d the speed .
T he highw ay setting is activate d automatically
whe n you dr ive above 7 5 mph (120 km/ h) for
more than
3 0 seconds in the auto or dynamic
mode. The gro und clea rance is increased a uto ­
matically if the speed drops below
44 mph
(70 km/h) for more than 120 seconds.
Steering
T he s teering adap ts i n t erms of s teer ing effor t
and stee ring ratios . Indirect stee ring that
moves easily, like the steer ing in comfo rt
mode, is best suited to long drives on a high­
way. In contrast, dynamic mode provides
sporty, direct steer ing .
The following app lies to vehi cles with dynamic
stee ring* : the steer ing rat io changes based on
vehicle speed in order to ma inta in optimum
steering effort for the drive r at all times. This
sets the stee ring to be less sens itive at h igher
s p eeds in order to provide improved vehicl e
control. At r educed speeds, howeve r, steer ing
is mo re dir ect i n order to keep the stee ring ef­
f o rt as minima l as po ssible when the drive r is
mane uveri ng the veh icle. At low and average
speeds, dynamic steering ad dit iona lly pro ­
vides more responsive steering pe rformance .
Sport differential*
As a compone nt o f the all whee l dr ive system
(quat tro)
r:!> page 204, the Spor t differen tia l*
dis tributes t he d riving power to the rear ax le
depen ding on the sit uat io n. The distrib ution
of power var ies depending on the se lected
mode, from ba lanced (comfort) to agile (dy­
nam ic). The goal is a high level of agility and
ability to accelerate on curves . The vehicle is
very res pons ive to stee ring .
Curve light*
The curve light adapts to driving on curves.
The pivoting act ion and the lighting are also
adapted to the mode.
Adaptive cruise control*
T he be hav ior when ac celera ting can be adjust­
ed from comforta ble to sporty, de pending on ..,.

Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event. EDR's are sometimes called "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, engine function, emis­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects
Intelligent technology 199
certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering ass istance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
JjJ in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations .
It is important to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics.
It will not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it would on the dry surface. If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
A lways adjust your speed and driving style to
road, traffic and weather conditions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection. If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.
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